Ten construction workers have died in a fire at a building site near the Russian capital, Moscow. The blaze broke out early in the morning at a barracks for workers at a construction site in the town of Pavshinskaya Poima. Firefighters found the bodies when they put out the fire. The victims died from smoke inhalation, officials quoted by Russian media said. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

With the expected passage this spring of the largest emergency spending bill in history, annual war expenditures in Iraq will have nearly doubled since the U.S. invasion, as the military confronts the rapidly escalating cost of repairing, rebuilding and replacing equipment chewed up by three years of combat.The cost of the war in U.S. fatalities has declined this year, but the cost in treasure continues to rise, from $48 billion in 2003 to $59 billion in 2004 to $81 billion in 2005 to an anticipated $94 billion in 2006, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. The U.S. government is now spending nearly $10 billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan, up from $8.2 billion a year ago, a new Congressional Research Service report found....http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/19/AR2006041902594_pf.html

Thirteen years after the Branch Davidians' armed standoff with federal agents ended in an inferno that killed nearly 80 people, six sect members who were sent to prison are about to be released from custody. Most of those who will be freed over the next 2 months escaped from the compound near Waco as it burned to the ground on April 19, 1993 51 days after a shootout that erupted when BATF agents tried to arrest religious leader David Koresh for stockpiling guns and explosives. The 6 men went to federal prison for manslaughter, weapons offenses or both in connection with the shootout, which left 4 federal agents and 6 Davidians dead. Once the men are out, they will be on supervised release for 3 to 5 years. Among other things, they will be barred from associating with one another. A seventh Davidian is also still behind bars but is not scheduled for release until next year. One of the 6, Paul Gordon Fatta, said he remains angry about the government's actions....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192341,00.html

Here's a look at the Branch Davidians convicted after four federal agents died in a botched raid at their compound, which burned to the ground and killed more than 80 people on April 19, 1993, after a 51-day standoff. Most were sentenced to 40 years after their 1994 trial, but in 2000 a judge reduced most terms to 15 years._ Kevin A. Whitecliff, 44, to be released next week in San Antonio; convicted of voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm during a crime._ Jaime Castillo, 37, to be released next month in San Diego; convicted of voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm during a crime._ Paul Gordon Fatta, 48, to be released next month in Los Angeles; convicted of conspiracy to possess machine guns and aiding Davidian leader David Koresh in possessing machine guns._ Renos Lenny Avraam, 42, to be released next month from Oakdale, La.; convicted of voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm during a crime. The real criminals all worked for the Government ...http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/14379951.htm

In the early days after the tsunami ravaged large parts of Asia, Jan Egeland, who coordinated humanitarian relief efforts at the UN, termed western response to the crisis "stingy".While the Norwegian official did not single out the US, the implication was clear. George Bush protested immediately; he asserted, with wounded pride, that Americans were generous.They were indeed: according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, within 10 days of the tsunami, private American aid exceeded $324m (£181.6m) towards tsunami relief. Official statistics did not then, nor now, capture such data. Measuring disaggregated private data is difficult, but the resistance to do so is often ideological....http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/story/0,,1756782,00.html

Chinese President Hu Jintao touted deepening U.S.-China ties as he prepared to tour a major U.S. exporter on Wednesday before a White House summit expected to touch on trade frictions and Iran’s nuclear program.Hu dined on Tuesday night with about 100 U.S. political and corporate leaders at the home of Bill Gates, whose Microsoft Corp. has been a major victim of Chinese software piracy. In a meeting earlier with Gates, Hu reiterated China would move against software pirates. (MSNBC.com is an NBC-Microsoft joint venture.)U.S. industry groups estimate 90 percent of DVDs, music CDs and software sold in China are pirated. The intellectual property issue is also expected to be on the agenda at Hu’s meeting on Thursday with President Bush....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12382306/from/RSS/